


Metamorphosis

by Cynder2013



Series: Children of the Sea [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Innsmouth Legacy - Ruthanna Emrys, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Family, Family Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cynder2013/pseuds/Cynder2013
Summary: The Jackson-Blofis family finally comes home.
Relationships: Paul Blofis/Sally Jackson
Series: Children of the Sea [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768231
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Metamorphosis

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has tiny spoilers for _Deep Roots_ , the third Innsmouth Legacy story. These spoilers do not reveal anything that would give away how the story of _Deep Roots_ plays out, and one doesn't even show up until the very end of the book. If you haven't read _Deep Roots_ you probably won't even notice them.

Paul, Sally, Percy and Estelle drive up to Innsmouth a few days before Winter Tide. Percy does most of the driving, with Paul taking over only for the last mile of familiar streets. The son of Poseidon keeps the car steady on the icy roads while Paul navigates and Sally keeps Estelle entertained.

The town hasn’t changed much since Paul left for New York fifteen years ago. The houses are still grey wood and weathered stone. The main street still only has the one grocery store run by the Whitelaw family next to the old military surplus that’s a relic of when Innsmouth was the home of more soldiers and spies than men of the sea. It’s different now. Almost every person living in Innsmouth has the sea in their blood.

Paul parks the car in the space between his sister Monica’s house and Innsmouth’s third library, which had started off as Moni’s private collection. Three more cars are parked in front of them. The engine has barely shut off when Moni’s door is thrown open and a little girl in a blue dress runs outside to meet them.

“Uncle Paw!” Paul catches his niece as she tackles him back into the driver’s seat with a hug. “Uncle Paw, I’s got gills like Grandma! Look!” She jumps to the ground so he can see the shadows and highlights painted onto the sides of her neck to give the illusion of gills. Robin’s work, no doubt.

“So you do, Lily-bean.” Paul ruffles Lily’s hair and waves to Moni, who’s just stepping outside.

Moni marches up to the car and puts her hands on her hips. “Six years, Paul Levi Blofis! You haven’t been home for six years! Don’t think I can’t still dunk you in the ocean for being an idiot.”

Paul smiles. “I know you can, Moni, that’s why I brought a baby to distract you.”

Moni glares at him before going to coo over Estelle with Lily while Paul and Percy get their bags out of the car. Then she herds them into her house and lets the rest of the family tell Paul what an idiot he is. By the time Paul is freed from the crowd of aunts, uncles and cousins, Sally and Estelle have been stolen away by his sisters and Percy has disappeared with everyone under twenty-one and a suspicious number of towels that had been drying by the fire. Paul hopes that at least some of the kids remember that they aren’t completely immune to the cold.

His cousin Dean slaps Paul’s shoulder. “Tell us about your girl, Paw.”

“No, tell us about yourself, Paw,” cousin Aliza says. “The prodigal son returns!”

“Why am I the prodigal son?” Paul asks. “I only went to New York. Robin went to L.A.”

Robin raises zir hand without looking up from zir sketchbook. “Not a son.” Ze stops drawing for a second to massage the webbing growing between zir fingers. “And I actually came home for the holidays. And I’m already the baby of our generation.”

“What ze said,” Aliza says. “Spill.”

Paul rolls his eyes and finishes his glass of salt water. “What do you want to know?”

“How’d you meet her?” Dean asks.

“Did you meet any ghouls?” Leah asks.

Aunt Bethany arcs one slim eyebrow. “Has your mother met Sally yet?”

Paul regrets finishing his drink. “No, Aunt Bethany.”

Aunt Bethany narrows her eyes at him. “Well, that won’t do.”

And that’s how Paul, Sally, Percy and Estelle end up sitting on the beach with Paul’s sisters, telling stories and waiting for the elders to answer the call of their summoning spell. It feels like coming home.


End file.
